Survey Data
Reg No
40403601
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1760 - 1800
Coordinates
228795, 289800
Date Recorded
14/08/2012
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Triple-span segmental-arched limestone humpback road bridge, built c.1780, with central arch spanning narrow channel connecting two parts of Lough Gowna. Rubble stone parapets with rendered half-barrel coping. Spandrels of rubble stone, dressed arch rings of unequal sized voussoirs rising from rubble stone abutments with V-cutwaters to both elevations. Arch soffit of rubble stone, partly rendered. Rubble stone wing walls extend to connect with street embankments.
Appraisal
A well-composed hump backed road bridge having elegantly proportioned arches of graduated height, typical of eighteenth century bridges. Originally spanning a wider neck between two parts of Lough Gowna, the channel was altered before 1910 to pass under the central arch only, rendering the cutwaters redundant. A road now passes under one arch. The rubble limestone construction with dressed arches and cutwaters are typical of bridges built under the county Grand Jury system. The bridge gives insight into the considerable expansion of the road network in Ireland in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is an important feature in the landscape and adds significantly to the character of its lakeside setting.